Orphan of a Nobody
by flamehikaru
Summary: The estate settlement of Severus Snape has hit a small snag.


If people had thought the ministry had delayed the dispersion of Albus Dumbledore's personal effects, even more eyebrows were raised about how it seemed that the estate of Severus Snape seemed to be willfully forgotten.

Surely he left something, people whispered. Rumors abounded about just what the cause of the delay was. Some had speculated that they were holding his possessions to be taken by the ministry if he was posthumously convicted of any charges, but when Snape was cleared there was still no sign of movement. Some then turned their thoughts to maybe he had left everything to known Death Eaters, or maybe everything left had been tainted with dark magic and the ministry was holding it for public safety.

That was not the case though. No, the ministry had just found a problem before they turned his effects over. A very small problem.

Things had been going so normally. There had been no stated will from Mr. Snape so everything was cataloged for record of the estate. There was a dilapidated house, his potion effects, and innumerable books that were of some value and had taken ages to get through. Just the ritual check of next of kin was to be done then they would be shod of this task and pass everything onto his employer to do with as they willed, since the majority of said effects had been left on their property. The ministry was doing their best to try to look good over this whole spy business, and wished to wipe their hands as cleanly of it as possible.

That all skidded to a halt when two estate officials found themselves on the orphanage's steps.

Oh, they had hoped that they would find the thread was leading them to an staff member there. But they knew with hearts sinking each step they took that their task was not so easy finished as they had hoped.

"I heard he was a difficult fellow to get along with. He certainly has gone and made our day not as bright. I really had been hoping to take off tomorrow." Doric mumbled, Jefferies beside him just rolled his eyes. Doric always fussed if they had to leave the ministry office on unexpected side trips. He should know by now that anytime he was thinking to skip work to go see a quidditch game that fate would always mess with his best laid plans.

At the front desk they identified themselves, and the head matron met them very promptly. She willingly let them down the halls, following them closely wondering which of her foundlings was the subject of their search.

On and on they went, until at last through double doors they ended up in a brightly yellow painted room overfilled with cribs. Winding their way through to the thread's end was a maze, but they eventually stopped at a crib 7 down and 2 from a window.

The matron brightened and asked "Are you here working on her mother's behalf? In her letter she said she would try to reclaim her if circumstances changed but that so rarely happens." Seeing slightly puzzled looks returned to her, the matron explained that the mother had left 2 notes - one sealed for the child to eventually read and one that had been open for the staff to read. "Many parents do this to help process through their thoughts of separating with their child."

Jefferies looked at Doric and when it seemed that he was not inclined to speak Jefferies turned to the matron and stated "Um, actually we are here on her father's behalf."

The matron gasped, and quietly asked "The Death Eater?"

Jefferies and Doric both started, then asked how she knew that. The matron mumbled that it was mentioned in the letter. Doric's eyebrow raised. "We would really like to see this letter."

The matron paused, then blurted out "The child ... she wouldn't be going to a, a.."

"She has no living relatives on her father's side, madam. And her father was cleared of all charges, seems he was working behind the scenes against Voldemort. Didn't know the chap but heard he was gathering all sorts of important information at great personal risk that was vital in bringing down the Death Eaters schemes."

The matron seemed to deflate just a bit then. "The girl .. I guess she actually was right, that he was different than the others. I .. I am glad for the child's sake." Looking around, she smiled. "Do you wish to read the letter here among the infants, or would you like to step to my office and have a seat and some tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, madam" Doric hurriedly spoke. Children made him nervous, and he had felt surrounded for the last half hour.

The trip to the office was short, and soon the niceties were taken care of. The matron summoned a file from the cabinet, reaching inside the slim folder and then handing a small letter across the table. "The sealed letter is also in this file if it is needed, but the child's mother says in the open one that it only contains a small portion of what is written here. The dear obviously was a bit embarrassed over what she had gotten herself into."

The men looked at each other then proceeded to read the letter curiously.

***

I had really hoped I wouldn't have to write this letter, but I don't know what else to do. I always seem to make the wrong decisions, maybe this one will be wrong too. Maybe I can get myself together, get back to some semblance of normal. Only then could I possibly make a home for a baby.

I am sure you have probably heard things like this before. I mean, at an orphanage you probably have heard everything and seen everything. You will probably only skim this because who wants to read the babblings of an ordinary mind, when others I am sure are much worse off. But it gives me a bit of peace to write this out. And when my daughter is old enough, and if she is not satisfied with the summary I have written for her then this letter might answer some of her questions.

I got myself into a bad situation and I didn't know how to get out of it. Yes, I was stupid. I beat myself up over it.

I had come to London with air dreams of finding a good job and having a comfortable life. But then the war started, and no one wanted to hire a young foreigner just out of school. I got a few odd jobs here and there, but those scarcely fed me. I was tired, alone, and longed for a roof over my head. I let my pride go and ended up in a little establishment just off Knockturn Alley. Yes, I was that stupid.

I had only been there for a short time but I already was loathing myself for what I had let my low self esteem get me into. My family had once been distinguished, I had graduated from Beauxbatons, yet here I was in a squalid room praying that night would never come.

A group of us were brought into the drawing room as usual that evening. That Madame was making nervous movements while pouring tea for the guests was the first indication that something was a bit odd with the group. It didn't take long to figure out with the guests scathing questions about our blood and Madame simpering and groveling that our guests for this evening were probable Death Eaters. I wanted to sink into the floor or disappear into the draperies, but we all knew the house was warded so that we could not leave unless the Madame was with us.

Several of the guests made my skin crawl. One was eyeing us so intently, I took a small shuffling step backwards hoping that one of pretty ones like Margaret would catch his eye. Maybe the movement brought his attention to my side of the room. He stood up and started to come over. I took two more steps back keeping the other girls in his line of view. I was so involved trying to stay hidden, maybe that is why I hadn't noticed the other silent one until I backed into him. I started to loose my balance when I felt a hand on my shoulder steadying me. I was just starting to look back at the man when suddenly I heard a derisive voice say right in front of us - 'Well, seems like you have already chosen. And here I thought you were going to be a pussy and not participate as usual. You know, there have been rumors about your real preference.' The brown-haired man in front of us laughed evilly along with several of his friends. 'Guess we will know shortly. If your trollop appears not to have inspired you tonight, we will just have to give her a experience she won't forget later.'

I felt my heart clinch solid and am sure I turned paler than normal as the brown-haired man leered suggestively. I could breathe again once he turned around and pulled Suzanne from the line and ordered her to lead the way while calling her various foul things. I stood as stone until the quiet one said in a low voice that we should withdraw if I didn't want to bring more attention to us. I was scared but also for some reason felt a sense of calm as I lead him upstairs, back to the corner bedroom I usually used.

After I shut the door, I stood by the door not sure what I should do. A sudden yell and scream down the corridor made me jump. I wondered if Madame would check on what was going on there - probably not since she valued her own neck much too highly. Sighing, I turned around and finally got a look at my visitor while he was looking around the room with a vaguely interested expression. He was pale and skinny, and his black hair fell limply about his face. Nothing really to write home about, but then the same could be said for me. A faint snort escaped me, and he turned to me and raised a questioning eyebrow. Again I was a bit amused. It seemed we both found some absurdity to the situation, which helped the tension I had been feeling. I thought all the Death Eaters were monsters, but this one seemed so much different than his companions.

That opinion didn't change. I was terribly relieved, as when I saw the Dark Mark I thought perhaps I had been mistaken and once we had reached a certain stage then maybe things would suddenly change and be like whatever was causing the yells I continued to hear down the hall. After awhile, the quiet one turned to me and asked why I stayed in such a place. I was a bit ashamed, but I told him I wanted out now but did not see a way to do so since the house was warded so that the girls could not leave without Madame accompanying them. He looked a me for a brief bit of time with his dark eyes before asking if there was a way out would I really take it. I hesitated for only an instant before saying yes. He leaned over and rummaged through his clothes, before pulling out a small vial and handed it to me. I looked at it carefully, then asked what it did. He explained that it was a sleep draught. I looked back at it. What good would just that do? He must have seen something in my expression that made him expound on it - 'If you get it to the Madame, then you could levitate her out the door with you once she is under its influence'. 'But she has our wands locked away', I replied. 'Take hers then', he stated, 'while she sleeps, you should try hers and get out while you can. This is not a strong draught but if her wand does not work you might have time to try accessing another.'

I wasn't sure it would work, but for the first time since I had been in that house I suddenly felt hope.

A short time later I saw the quiet one grimace. I was just about to ask if there was something wrong, when I heard a bang in the hall and turned to the door and listened as a loud voice in the hall bellowed 'Well, duty calls. Maybe we will be back tomorrow night to finish our fun here.' By the time I turned back around the quiet one was already mostly dressed. He silently swept out of the door after giving a short nod to me.

I stayed in the room for a time. I looked at the vial again as I got dressed. The room had no lock, nothing was private here. I picked the vial up and placed it inside a small hole that the boning in my top had worked through. Just as I was thinking I should go down and see if I could now get a bite to eat a loud crying sob rang out and I ran to the door. Vivian was in the hall biting her knuckles while looking into the room closest to the stairs. I really didn't want to see, but knew I must. It ended up worse than I thought. Not only Suzanne in that room, but also Theresa in another room were in terrible shape. The Madame was besides herself - probably not in feeling for the girls but in visions of lost profits. She sent for a healer, and was so disturbed that she didn't order the rest of us back to the attic like usual once we had gotten something from the kitchen. When the healer arrived shortly after, he was rushed upstairs. The rest of the us huddled together downstairs in the drawing room feeling despair crush us as we waited to hear the news. Finally the healer and Madame walked back into the drawing room. They didn't even acknowledge us, while the healer handed over various potion receipts while the Madame offered a drink. The healer took a firewhiskey while the Madame ordered tea brought in from the house elf she summoned.

The healer stayed only long enough to finish his drink. After he was gone, Madame sat looking at the receipts. She started muttering to herself. Before long, she resummoned the house elf and gave him the healers instruction on how and when to give Suzanne and Theresa the various potions - like she couldn't be bothered with it. It burned me up inside. I looked around and spotted the tea service. Before I could stop myself I poured a cup of tea, keeping my body between the Madame and the other girls. The vial was easily plucked and poured into the cup. I wondered how long it would take to take effect, if the potion was what the quiet one said it was. No time to worry about that, I thought. Madame was still distracted by the money she just had to pay to the healer, and who knew the next time her vigilance would be so lax. I slowing walked to her, softly asking if she felt like a bit of tea before it got cold. For a moment I was afraid she would turn it down, before she seemed to jerk back to the present. She frowned a bit when she noticed the rest of us still in the room, but then she sighed and took the cup. After a couple of sips I noticed that the Madame's eyelids were getting droopy as she explained that Suzanne had a broken arm and maybe a bruised rib or two and would not be available for a while, and Theresa had several cuts that fortunately were easier fixed but would not be available tomorrow tonight for any guests - I would think not. Thoughts of tomorrow night were not be tolerated, period. Madame's eyelids drooped until they rested on her cheeks, but I stood silent not sure if I should make a sound as it might wake her. Once the first snore issued forth, I drew my courage and went to her and pulled her wand from the side pocket in her dress it had always rested in. Several of the girls looked at me like I was crazy, maybe I was - I had nowhere to go, no money, no time to dither. Just as I was about to try the wand, Vivian was beside me - I was afraid she was going to try to stop me. Instead she looked at me, then up the stairs where the house elf could vaguely be heard muttering about this and that, then back. I hadn't even thought of the house elf, no way then to get our original wands - if we tried to get up the stairs into the office it would make the biggest racket ever.

I waved the wand as confidently as I could. My heart almost dropped until I noticed that the Madame was slowly lifting off the floor. I only was able to get her to float at knee level, but that was good enough. I slowly guided her to the door, and opened it. I grabbed a bit of her skirt, gathering my courage yet again. I looked to the others, and felt relief that Vivian had continued to follow. She looked as terrified as I was sure I must look, but she went to Madame's other side and took a bit of skirt into her hand. We walked down the steps together.

***

Minerva was met by the matron in the front hall. As they walked down the corridors, it saddened McGonagall to see so many children looking at her with sad but hopeful eyes. The matron noticed her taking in all the children as she ushered her into the nursery unit. She lead her to one of about 40 cribs in the room and stopped, smiling down at the infant. McGonagall knew it was a little girl she had come for, but had known nothing about her. She now finally had a chance to take in her newest charge. The girl was tinier than she had expected, but then the ministry officials had been much more absorbed with the letter that accompanied the child than her actual person. Her black eyes and hair stood in high contrast to her pale skin. Fortunately there wasn't a sign of her father's nose - she had felt bad when she had hoped the child would be spared that.

She leaned forward and slowly picked the girl up. She was surprised to feel like the girl was accessing her the same way she was looking at her. Suddenly the girl waved her hand in what seemed to be the direction of McGonagall's glasses.

Minerva was so involved with observing the child that she gave a slight start when the matron suddenly appeared again in her field of vision.

The matron sighed, looked around again with a certain weariness and explained. "While the war was going on people were afraid. We were suddenly overwhelmed with children of all ages being left to our care. Some orphans, some whose parents thought they were in danger, others whose work had vanished and they could no longer supported themselves let alone their children. Now that the war is over, people are slowly opening their homes and hearts again, trying to restart their lives. The babies are always picked first, but some of the older children are starting to find homes to."

Minerva looked down at the infant in her arms. "When was she born?"

"May 10th"

Barely a week after her father ... if only thoughts were overflowing in her head while her eyes grew overbright with tears she thought she was past shedding. He didn't, couldn't have known then. If the Battle had been delayed just for a short time, Severus would have been no longer alone in this world. Fate was even more unkind than she had thought.

"So, what papers do I have to file to take this girl to her home?" Minerva crisply asked.


End file.
